Country Star
Encyclopedia
Country Star is an American
Thoroughbred
filly
racehorse
. Owned and bred by Robert and Janice McNair's Stonerside Stable
in Paris, Kentucky
, she was sired by the 2003 Belmont Stakes
winner, Empire Maker
. Her dam is Rings A Chime, a daughter of Metfield who was a son of the 1977 U.S. Triple Crown winner, Seattle Slew
.
Conditioned for racing by Hall of Fame
trainer
Bobby Frankel, Country Star made her racing debut in a turf
race at New York's Belmont Park
on September 20, 2007. After a poor start in which she fell well back of the leaders, she came on at the end with a strong rally to finish in second place. Believing in her potential, three weeks later her handlers entered the filly in the Grade I Alcibiades Stakes, a race on synthetic dirt
at Keeneland Race Course in Kentucky
. Ridden by regular jockey Rafael Bejarano, in the ten-horse field Country Star ran well back in seventh place for most of the race but as the field turned for home she came on with a powerful stretch drive to win by a full length.
Bypassing the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies
, on December 15th Country Star won her second straight Grade 1 race of 2007 in very impressive fashion, capturing the Hollywood Starlet Stakes
by 2¾ lengths and doing it in track record time.
Expected to compete in California to start her three-year-old campaign, depending on her winter/spring performances Country Star may be headed for either the 2008 Kentucky Oaks
or the Kentucky Derby
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Thoroughbred
Thoroughbred
The Thoroughbred is a horse breed best known for its use in horse racing. Although the word thoroughbred is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thoroughbred breed...
filly
Filly
A filly is a young female horse too young to be called a mare. There are several specific definitions in use.*In most cases filly is a female horse under the age of four years old....
racehorse
Horse racing
Horse racing is an equestrian sport that has a long history. Archaeological records indicate that horse racing occurred in ancient Babylon, Syria, and Egypt. Both chariot and mounted horse racing were events in the ancient Greek Olympics by 648 BC...
. Owned and bred by Robert and Janice McNair's Stonerside Stable
Stonerside Stable
Stonerside Stable is an American Thoroughbred horse breeding farm and horse racing operation in Paris, Kentucky. Until September 2008 it was owned by Robert and Janice McNair, who also own the National Football League team, the Houston Texans...
in Paris, Kentucky
Paris, Kentucky
As of the census of 2000, there were 9,183 people, 3,857 households, and 2,487 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 4,222 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 84.23% White, 12.71% African American, 0.16% Native American, 0.16%...
, she was sired by the 2003 Belmont Stakes
Belmont Stakes
The Belmont Stakes is an American Grade I stakes Thoroughbred horse race held every June at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York. It is a 1.5-mile horse race, open to three year old Thoroughbreds. Colts and geldings carry a weight of 126 pounds ; fillies carry 121 pounds...
winner, Empire Maker
Empire Maker
Empire Maker is an American Thoroughbred racehorse. Owned and bred by Prince Khalid Abdullah's Juddmonte Farms, he was sired by champion Unbridled, winner of the 1990 Kentucky Derby and Breeders' Cup Classic...
. Her dam is Rings A Chime, a daughter of Metfield who was a son of the 1977 U.S. Triple Crown winner, Seattle Slew
Seattle Slew
Seattle Slew was an American Thoroughbred race horse who won the United States Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing in 1977, the tenth of eleven horses to accomplish the feat. He remains the only horse to win the Triple Crown while undefeated. In the Blood-Horse magazine List of the Top 100 U.S...
.
Conditioned for racing by Hall of Fame
National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame
The National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame was founded in 1950 in Saratoga Springs, New York, to honor the achievements of American thoroughbred race horses, jockeys, and trainers...
trainer
Horse trainer
In horse racing, a trainer prepares a horse for races, with responsibility for exercising it, getting it race-ready and determining which races it should enter...
Bobby Frankel, Country Star made her racing debut in a turf
Grass
Grasses, or more technically graminoids, are monocotyledonous, usually herbaceous plants with narrow leaves growing from the base. They include the "true grasses", of the Poaceae family, as well as the sedges and the rushes . The true grasses include cereals, bamboo and the grasses of lawns ...
race at New York's Belmont Park
Belmont Park
Belmont Park is a major thoroughbred horse-racing facility located in Elmont in the Town of Hempstead in Nassau County, New York, on Long Island adjoining New York City. It first opened on May 4, 1905...
on September 20, 2007. After a poor start in which she fell well back of the leaders, she came on at the end with a strong rally to finish in second place. Believing in her potential, three weeks later her handlers entered the filly in the Grade I Alcibiades Stakes, a race on synthetic dirt
Polytrack
A synthetic racetrack surface is any kind of surface substance that replaces grass, dirt or sand as the racing surface on a horse racing track. Synthetic surfaces may be desirable over traditional surfaces for several reasons, most prominently the reduction of injuries and possible deaths to horses...
at Keeneland Race Course in Kentucky
Kentucky
The Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state located in the East Central United States of America. As classified by the United States Census Bureau, Kentucky is a Southern state, more specifically in the East South Central region. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a commonwealth...
. Ridden by regular jockey Rafael Bejarano, in the ten-horse field Country Star ran well back in seventh place for most of the race but as the field turned for home she came on with a powerful stretch drive to win by a full length.
Bypassing the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies
Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies
The Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies is a 1 1/16-mile thoroughbred horse race on dirt for two-year-old fillies run annually since 1984 at a different racetrack in the United States or Canada as part of the Breeders' Cup World Championships.-Automatic Berths:Beginning in 2007, the Breeders' Cup...
, on December 15th Country Star won her second straight Grade 1 race of 2007 in very impressive fashion, capturing the Hollywood Starlet Stakes
Hollywood Starlet Stakes
The Hollywood Starlet Stakes is an American Thoroughbred horse race for two-year-old fillies run each December at Hollywood Park Racetrack in Inglewood, California. Currently offering a purse of $400,000, the Grade I event, it was raced on dirt until 2006 when the new synthetic Cushion Track was...
by 2¾ lengths and doing it in track record time.
Expected to compete in California to start her three-year-old campaign, depending on her winter/spring performances Country Star may be headed for either the 2008 Kentucky Oaks
Kentucky Oaks
The Kentucky Oaks is a Grade I stakes race for three-year-old Thoroughbred fillies staged annually in Louisville, Kentucky, United States. The race currently covers 1⅛ miles at Churchill Downs; the horses carry 121 pounds . The Kentucky Oaks is held on the Friday before the Kentucky Derby each year...
or the Kentucky Derby
Kentucky Derby
The Kentucky Derby is a Grade I stakes race for three-year-old Thoroughbred horses, held annually in Louisville, Kentucky, United States on the first Saturday in May, capping the two-week-long Kentucky Derby Festival. The race is one and a quarter mile at Churchill Downs. Colts and geldings carry...
.